I wanted to make films that would focus on the High Peak Trail and the Tissington Trail. Some of this had been done back in 2011, but I lost all the footage I had shot – see the background and production details for “Meanderings of Manifold” to read more information on this. In August 2015 I decided to film the High Peak Trail again and some of the surrounding countryside for my new video, which I would call “Midsummer in Middleton”.

On Sunday 2nd August 2015 I found myself beside the Cromford Canal at the aqueduct near the Leawood Pump House just before 8:00am. I filmed many shots of the aqueduct, pump house and the canal as far as High Peak Junction. I shot several scenes here to show the visitor centre and the official start of the High Peak Trail and the bottom of Sheep Pasture Incline. I drove up to Black Rocks car park to take some shots along the trail at the top of Sheep Pasture and Black Rocks before driving into Wirksworth to film lots of cutaways of the town.

Back on the High Peak Trail I continued filming around Middleton Top to include the top of the steep incline, engine house and visitor centre as well as a section of the trail between here and Hopton Tunnel. Driving on I pulled up in a layby near Hopton Incline to take a couple of shots here and the old railway station before breaking for lunch. I ended up driving to Ashbourne to eat steak pie and chips from the Market Place Fish and Chip takeaway.

After lunch I drove to Minninglow car park near Pikehall to film sections of the High Peak Trail around here, not realizing that the Y Not Festival was taking place this weekend in the nearby fields. However, the sound of live music and sight of hundreds of tents did not deter me from filming, so although some of the tents can be seen in one of my shots I managed to film what I wanted without it being overshadowed by the festival. The last bit of filming of the day was more widespread as I took a few shots here and there at Friden, Parsley Hay and Hurdlow near where the High Peak Trail ends.

The musical theme I used had actually come up in my head back in 2012 whilst I was in the middle of post-production of “Meanderings of Manifold”. However, I felt this theme was one of my stronger pieces of music and the soundtrack for "Manifold" was a strong one too, so I decided to save this theme for another time. I knew at some point I would be filming the High Peak Trail, so I chose to keep this musical theme on the backburner to use as the soundtrack for "Midsummer in Middleton".